Number 14

The Meaning of Number 14

Number 14 is the number for forgetfulness

The moon is fourteen days in waxing (growing larger) before we can observe the beautiful full moon.

The moon is also fourteen days in waning.

In China the number 14 is an unlucky number. It is pronounced “one four” which sounds like “want to die”.

Number 14 in the Tarot

In the Tarot number fourteen is the card of the Temperance.

Temperance shows reasonableness and self-control.

Reversed it is lack of self-control or struggling with a conflict of interest.

Number 14 – Fun Facts

• Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 every year.
  It is a day for romance and love.
  Sending cards, flowers and candy is quite common in the Western world.

• In France July 14, is the French national holiday. It is known as “Bastille Day”.

• It is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789.

• A cub octahedron has fourteen sides.

It has six squares and eight triangles.

• Number 14 is the atomic number of silicon.

• A stone (British unit of weight) is equivalent to fourteen pounds.

• Vermont became the 14^th state of the U.S.A. in 1791.

Apollo 14

Apollo 14 was the third manned mission to land on the moon.

The Lunar landing of Apollo 14 was February 5, 1971.

It was on this mission Alan Shepard hit two golf balls on the moon.

Osiris Murdered

In Egyptian mythology, Osiris was murdered by his brother, Seth. Seth cut the body of Osiris into fourteen parts.

Osiris’ wife, Isis, was able to locate the fourteen body parts and give her husband a decent funeral.

Osiris eventually became the god of the Underworld. The number fourteen has on the basis of this story been associated with death and resurrection.

In the picture by Gospodar Svemira, we can see that Nut ( the Sky goddess) is supported by her father Shu ( air god). Geb, Nut’s husband, is the Earth and he is looking at his two sons Osiris (who is naked) and Seth (who is evil).

The Fourteenth President

Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States. 1853 – 1857

Franklin Pierce had three sons. His two eldest sons died of illness. On the way to the Inauguration Mr. and Mrs. Pierce witnessed their third son (age 11) die in railroad accident.

Pierce became increasingly unpopular as his actions supported the pro-slave movement.

He was the first President to hire a full time bodyguard.

Dalai Lama

The 14th Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the people of Tibet, who believe he is the reincarnation of his predecessors.

The 14th Dalai Lama was proclaimed to be the rebirth of the 13th Dalai Lama when he was two years old. He was the fifth of sixteen children of a farming family. He was born July 6, 1935.

He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and has received over a hundred rewards.

14 Years Guarding the Grave

Bobby was the name of a Skye Terrier who spent fourteen years guarding the grave of his master.

The dog belonged to John Gray. They had been inseparable.

When John Gray died in February 1858 he was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh. Bobby spent the next fourteen years guarding the grave.

He only left for meals. Bobby died January 14, 1872.

Markar Sankranti – January 14th

“Sankranti” means the sun’s movement from one zodiac zone into the next. Makar is Hindi for Capricorn. This is when the sun moves north into the Tropic of Makar (Capricorn).

Makar Sankranti is celebrated throughout India.

Makar Sankranti is extremely auspicious.

The Sun god is named Surya in Hinduism. Special prayers are made to Surya. It is also considered auspicious to take a holy bath in the River Ganges.

During this celebration it is also very popular to fly kites. Various huge kite festivals attract visitors from around the globe.

14 Years in Exile

Rama and Sita spent 14 years in exile before they could return to their home, Ayodhya, where Rama became king. It was his stepmother’s doing, as she wanted her son to be king.

Rama is the 7^th incarnation of Vishnu. His task was to kill the demon Ravana and rescue his wife. Ravana had kidnapped his wife Sita.

Pope John XII Murdered

Pope John XII (Pope from 955 – 964) did not take celibacy too seriously. A very jealous husband found the Pope in bed with his wife and beat him severely. The Pope died as a result of the injuries on May 14, 964.

A Sonnet

A sonnet is a fourteen line poem.

A sonnet has a strict rhyme structure.

Each line contains ten syllables.

William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets.

The 14 Stations of the Cross

The Fourteen Stations of the Cross are stations for meditation used by many Catholics in the Roman Catholic Church.

The stations consist of fourteen crosses and may also have pictures.

The believers go from one station to the next saying prayers.

These are the fourteen stations approved by Pope Benedict XVI:

1. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
2. Jesus betrayed by Judas and arrested
3. Jesus condemned by the Sanhedrin
4. Jesus denied by Peter
5. Jesus is judged by Pilate
6. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
7. Jesus takes up His cross
8. Jesus is helped by Simon to carry His cross
9. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
10. Jesus is crucified
11. Jesus promises His kingdom to the repentant thief
12. Jesus entrusts Mary and John to each other
13. Jesus dies on the cross
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb

14 Holy Helpers

The Fourteen Holy Helpers is a group of Catholic saints invoked during the Black Plague in Europe. The Fourteen Holy Helpers have remained sturdy in Germany.

St. Achatius	Against headache
St. Barbara	Against fever and sudden death
St. Blaise	Against illness of the throat
St. Catherine of Alexandria	Against sudden death
St. Christopher	Against plagues
St. Cyriacus	Against temptation on the death bed
St. Denis	Against headache
St. Erasmus	Against intestinal ailments
St. Eustachius	Against family trouble
St. George	For protection of domestic animals
St. Giles	Against plague and for a good confession
St. Margaret of Antioch	For a safe childbirth
St. Pantaleon	For physicians
St. Vitus	Against epilepsy

The Fourteen Angels

In Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera “Hansel and Gretel”, there is the prayer of the lost children: “The Fourteen Angels”:

When at night I go to sleep,

fourteen angels watch to keep,

two my head are guarding,

two my feet are guiding;

two upon my right hand,

two upon my left hand.

two who warmly cover,

two who o’er me hover,

two to whom ’tis given

to guide my steps to heaven.

Number 13